by Shirley Lorraine

Conejo Players now live on stage!

Conejo Players opened the romantic comedy Almost, Maine last Friday evening to an enthusiastic audience. It certainly felt good to be back in theater seats instead of sitting at my computer.

Almost, Maine, a two-act play by John Cariani, takes place in a series of vignettes, each telling stories of friendship, love, loss, and relationships in general. All the scenes are lit with a dazzling sky full of Northern Lights, under which the participants fall in various ways in and out of its magical spell.

The quaint, fantasy town is named because of its location – almost at the top of the United States, and almost in Canada. They would be a town if they would get organized. But for now, they’re just almost.

The vignettes, each featuring a different couple and situation, explore the absurdity, awkwardness, and challenges inherent in the process of looking for love, finding love, losing love, and reconciling one’s feelings of love. In short, there is a lot packed into each scene, with the compilation forming the whole all wrapped under the spell of the evening.

Smoothly directed by Beth Eslick, the vignettes are replete with quirky personalities who bring forth some fascinating and unusual viewpoints on life and love. Author Cariani has opened a decidedly unique umbrella over a very large subject. It was delightful to experience new explorations and insights into the age-old theme.

Each scene stands alone, although references are occasionally made to the other characters, who are all residents of this small town. The use of minimal scenery changes enhances each scene against the projected background of a beautiful Northern Lights sky, allowing the actors to remain the focal points. The writer’s use of short pieces with a common underlying theme works well to spotlight each couple’s particular situation, giving each full attention and the audience something to ponder.

The very capable cast includes Robert Chambers, James Coblentz, Carl Garcia, Rose Hunter, Eric Pierce, and Heather Lynn Smith. All portray multiple distinct characters.

The actors are all excellent. Pacing is well controlled. In several scenes with quieter moments, volume dropped significantly despite each actor wearing microphones. This was opening night and no doubt each will re-adjust to on-stage projecting as they go. After all, it’s been a long 18 months and we all are readjusting. With joy.

Attendees are required to show proof of vaccination prior to entering the theater and must wear masks while inside. All appropriate precautions are being taken. Be advised – there are no physical programs. Audience members are asked to scan the QR code on the lobby wall to access cast information on their cell phones. Just another minor adjustment as we move forward.

I found the evening to be a breath of fresh air. You should go.

Almost, Maine runs through October 3 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. and Thursday, September 23 at 8 p.m. (805) 495-3715 or [email protected], or visit the website at www.conejoplayers.org for reservations.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Joe Bell – Amazon Prime Cinema

In May 2013, an Oregon father named Joe Bell (Mark Wahlberg) started a walk across America to New York to raise awareness about bullying after his son committed suicide. Joe Bell is based on the true story of the events that lead to his son Jadin’s (Reid Miller) suicide and Joe’s later efforts to talk to anyone who would listen to his son’s story, while also reconciling with the loss of his son and his role in the reasons for his son’s actions.

Nearly a year prior to taking his life, Jadin had told his parents that he was being picked on at school by some guys because he was different, specifically because he was gay. His mother Lola (Connie Britton) expressed concern and support, while his father Joe told him to stand up for himself and fight, but Jadin said he couldn’t fight the whole school for his whole life.

Jadin was a sophomore and the only male cheerleader at La Grande High School. Though his dad said he supported him being a cheerleader, he didn’t want Jadin to practice in the front yard of their house and insisted that he practice cheerleading with his friend in the backyard. There was only one time Jadin’s parents went to a football game to support him, but his dad caused them to both leave early, not being able to handle the negative comments from other parents and harassment from other students about his son being a cheerleader.

Jadin was secretly dating a football player from his school, but they broke up because his boyfriend’s parents didn’t know he was gay. Jadin kept his sights on going to New York and starting a new life there. Jadin was receiving threatening texts and was physically bullied at school, but the administration didn’t seek to protect him, only to blame him stating that they lived in a small town and a formal complaint could cause them more trouble. The principal even suggested he transfer schools or seek therapy.

Feeling hopeless, he called his friend Marcy, but she was heading out of town with her mom and didn’t realize how desperate Jadin was, suggesting that he go to their house for the weekend but he said he didn’t want to be alone and couldn’t go home. That night Jadin didn’t go home and hung himself the next morning from the playground equipment at the local elementary school. In real life, Jadin died in the hospital two weeks later after being taken off life support.

Joe shut down and stayed in his room for weeks and when he finally emerged, he said that he was going to walk across America to New York and talk to people about bullying. Though he had no plan and no money, he was convinced this was what Jadin wanted him to do. In six months, he had traveled from La Grande Oregon, through Twin Fall to Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah and in Steamboat Springs, Colorado was briefly visited by his wife and youngest son Joseph.

Joe’s “Walk for Change” was followed by social media and news organizations along the way that helped to spread his anti-bullying message, but it came to a sudden, unexpected end in Lincoln County, Colorado after 6 months and 1,000 miles traveled.

Rated: R (Teen Partying|Language|Some Disturbing Material|Offensive Slurs)
Runtime: 1h 34m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Clickbait – Netflix Originals

In Clickbait, Nick Brewer’s (Adrian Grenier) family is in a race against time after seeing him on an internet video holding signs that said “I abuse women” then “At 5 million views I die”. Nick’s sister Pia (Zoe Kazan) was unstoppable trying to find her brother while his wife Sophie (Betty Gabriel) worked to sooth the concerns of her two sons, Ethan and Kai. Instead of seeing Nick as a victim, most vilified him from the the signs, and the news media coverage only fueled the countdown. The eight episodes focus on the perspectives of the primary characters as the story progresses:

Sister
Being very stubborn and willful, Pia turned to the aid of a tech friend to use the internet and online detectives to determine her brother’s location from the video. While waiting at the police station the count reached 5 million and the site went offline.

Wife
Eventually it came out that they did have marriage issues, and eventually Sophie revealed she had an affair with a coworker at the school named Craig, who detectives later saw on video in an altercation at a bar with Nick.

Detective
After briefly connecting with Pia online, Detective Roshan Amiri (Phoenix Raie) found himself in the interview room at the police station with Pia and her sister in law Sophie. Thrill chasers used an app that Roshan followed to mark locations in the city they had searched to find Nick’s body.

Mistress
Emma Beesley had a 6 month affair with Nick, but knew him as Danny Walters. She got a threatening call and after leaving her hotel was run off the road into a dumpster. Roshan and Pia visited her in the hospital and Roshan shared Nick had multiple profiles under multiple names.

Reporter
Ben Park got the exclusive interview with Emma Beesley but before it aired was dropped for an exclusive with Sophie after she threatened to sue the station. Ben felt a crime had been committed and thought he could use his skills to bring justice to those victimized.

Brother
Sarah’s brother Simon worked in a tech company and surveilled her over his concern of her suicidal threats. After she commited suicide he found texts on her phone which eventually led him to Nick Brewer. Simon realized he got the wrong guy and let Nick go after he was tried to escape

Son
Ethan (Camaron Engels) was always texting a girl named Allison who he had never met. Allsion thought she could help Ethan find the catfisher through hacking, but when she sent him the info it was Kai who got the text and proceeded to the location.

Answer
The story develops and secrets are revealed with each character perspective that is cleverly shared and the Answer will surprise you.

Runtime: Season 1: 8 – 45m episodes

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Nine Perfect Strangers – Hulu Originals

Tranquilum House holistic resort is the setting for Nine Perfect Strangers, where nine people from all walks of life gathered together to attend a pricey 10-day “Mind and Body Total Transformation Retreat” led by a mysterious Russian woman named Masha (Nicole Kidman). The program included regular practices like healthy eating, massage, meditation, acupuncture, etc. but also some strange and unusual things like blood tests and Masha actually saying in her welcome speech that she was in complete control and planned to “f%@# with all of them”.

Only 10% of applicants are accepted and Masha intentionally groups people together to also help them benefit from healing interactions with each other, believing that their individual issues will help trigger more revealing and sharing of truths that lie deep inside the minds of her guests.

• Frances Welly (Melissa McCarthy) was a famous author on her way out, looking to find herself after being scammed in an internet romance.

• High school teacher Napoleon Marconi (Michael Shannon) and his wife Heather (Asher Keddie) were dealing with the suicide of their son three years ago along with their 21 year old daughter Zoe (Grace Van Patten), who was his twin, and were given a substancial discount to attend due to their limited finances.

• Tony Hogburn (Bobby Cannavale) was a football player whose career ended early due injuries and now struggles with alcohol and drug addictions related to his physical recovery.

• Jessica Chandler (Samara Weaving) is a social media influencer with hidden self-esteem issues and at the retreat in the hope of also repairing her love relationship with her husband Ben (Melvin Gregg).

• Carmel Sneider (Regina Hall) stated her goals at the retreat were to work on self-esteem, weight loss and confidence.

• Lars Lee (Luke Evans) is always quick with critical comments about the program and attendees, and appears to have some hidden agenda in being at the resort.

Upon arriving, all guests are required to relinquish all phones, laptops, etc. as well as any other items that don’t fall in line with the designed wellness practices, such as alcohol and drugs of any kind. Masha’s boutique health-and-wellness resort promises guests healing, transformation and a path to a better way of living, which she created after a life of climbing the corporate ladder and ending up being ambushed in a parking garage where she was shot and died, but came back to life with a renewed sense and commitment to creating Tranquillum House.

Assisted by her dedicated employees Yao (Manny Jacinto) and Delilah (Tiffany Boone), Masha guarantees attendees will leave with an entirely new sense of wellness and outlook on life, though little did they know there was more than they knowingly agreed to in the personally designed nutritional shakes they had every morning. The resort is definitely not what it seems to be and with each passing day, the guests discover many secrets about each other and the resort’s host.

Runtime: Season 1: 8 – 50m episodes

by Shirley Lorraine

Camarillo Takes Off in Ernest

Camarillo Skyway Playhouse opened its final production in the Camarillo Airport location last Friday, The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde.

Ernest has been heralded by theatre afficionados as a “comic masterpiece” since its opening in 1895. Playwright Wilde’s oft-quoted wit and wisdom has weathered well over these many decades. Wilde is at his best here, inventing two English gentlemen who value privilege, pleasure-seeking, and love of extravagance far above responsibility and truthfulness. Both have created elaborate deceptions to try to imbue their lives with a semblance of balance. The result is a joyous, passionate play filled with situational irony.

Director Kimberly Demmary has taken some chances with the direction of this production, many of which work to good advantage. She has kept the period in costuming and setting and cast competent, seasoned actors in the roles. In my opinion, however, the play has been staged almost Keystone Kops style – frantic, loud and with a loss of the subtle humor for which the play is well known. Reactions are melodramatically over the top and, although quite amusing in themselves, diminish the pure wit inherent in the words which were often buried. Blatant mugging in the background by all the actors frequently upstaged the dialogue.

Lead actors Brian Robert Harris as Jack/Ernest, and Patrick T. Rogers as Algernon, speak at such a rapid pace in their British accents that many great lines are either tossed away or were not heard at all. Both terrific actors, I personally was disappointed to see them playing Ernest almost a la Stooges. I half expected a nyuck-nyuck and an eye jab at any moment, particularly during the argumentative scenes, the vocal levels of which echoed in the building. No subtle satire, this.

The ingenues, Maddie Boyd as Gwendolyn and Samantha Netzen Bingham as Cecily , fell into the same trap, covering many pithy lines with both verbal and physical histrionics. Often the next line was delivered before the previous one could be digested. On opening night, quite a few lines simply disappeared. It is hoped that the pacing will smooth out a bit during subsequent performances to allow the audience to fully enjoy Wilde’s witty words.

Theresa Secor as Lady Augusta Bracknell acted with a bit more even pace and meaningful reactions. One scene in act I with her and Harris alone is worth the price of admission. This scene was beautifullyl done.

In smaller but no less important roles, Josh Rubenstein shines in a dual role as the harried butlers Merriman and Lane. Suzanne Tobin brings Miss Prism to life with flair. The reverend Dr. Chasuble is played by Larry Swartz, who makes the most out of his part, and the two together are charming.

It is a delight to see live theater again, even if it works needlessly hard to elicit laughs.

The play runs through August 29. Check www.skywayplayhouse.org for details and stay tuned for news of the company’s new home.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Vault – Netflix

Thom (Freddie Highmore) seemed to have the world on a string. He was an engineering student graduating from Cambridge University and due to the fact that he created an unusual and ingenious solution to deal with an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he was courted with 6 figure salaries from all the largest oil companies. Thom’s interests were not with high salaries, they were with providing unique engineering solutions that can help people, so he was very disinterested in following in his father’s footsteps and working for a major oil company.

Walter Moreland (Liam Cunningham) was a treasure hunter and found his elusive “holy grail” when he finally located the sunken ship of Sir Francis Drake, which not only had a wealth of treasure but was known to have a box with 3 coins that were a treasure map to even more treasure beyond measure. Immediately after they found the box and brought it to the surface, Spanish Customs seized the treasure, including the box and the situation was referred to the International Court, at The Hague to make a ruling on whether the treasure belonged to the Spanish Crown or Walter. The Court ruled in favor of Spain and treasure was taken to a mysterious, impenetrable fortress hidden under The Bank of Spain

While at dinner with his father, Thom got a call from an unknown number with directions to follow a stranger, and when he grabbed his coat he found a treasure coin and an invitation to meet at a location to find out why. He ended up meeting Walter in a bar, who proposed to him “I want you to help me break into the vault under the most secure location in the world.” Walter chose Thom because the vault was considered to be a miracle of engineering, and left him with a ticket from London to Madrid to meet the team if he was interested.

Thom met the team: Klaus was the computer wiz in the control booth., Simon was responsible for acquisitions, and Lorraine (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) was skilled at slight of hand and a master of disguise. James (Sam Riley) was Walter’s friend who worked together for 10 years and was responsible for planning, entry, extraction and would be leading the team. They reviewed that Walter’s plan to was to break in during the Soccer World Cup Finals, and though they had a plan to get to the vault, they had no idea how to access the vault which was known as The Enigma.

Thom’s curiosity was peaked, to he agreed to join the team to see if he could solve the issue of accessing the vault. The team was already working on certain aspects of the plan, but needed Thom’s genius brain to solve the most important part and Thom also turned out to be very skilled at looking at complex problems and finding simple and effective methods to solve them. Though the rest of the team was skeptical at first, they quickly embraced Thom as a lead member due to his quick thinking solutions.

The team began to carry out their plan, and whenever they came up against a hurdle Thom stepped in to do or resolve whatever was needed to complete the mission. Little did they know they would be betrayed by one of their own in their quest to recover when they felt they rightly owned.

Rated: R (Language)
Runtime: 1h 58m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Tomorrow War – Amazon Originals

In “The Tomorrow War”, the world receives a desperate message from the future when a military troop from 2051 appeared out of thin air during a world soccer match to tell the people of earth it had been invaded by aliens and without help the human race would parish. Originally trained military people were jumped into the future war zone, but only 50% survived, so the world leaders agreed on a global draft of civilians to serve 7 days and be returned with full time served if they survived the battle. The civilian survival rate was even lower at only 25%, but Dan Forester (Chris Platt) was not your average high school teacher having previously served in Army Special Ops so had a basic idea of what he was getting into when he was selected for the draft.

Dan’s wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin) worked as a counselor for those who returned from the future war, many of whom lost limbs as well as being emotionally scared from what they witnessed, and she pleaded with Dan to reach out to his estranged father for help in removing the jump device before he was deployed in 24 hours. Dan’s dad James Foster (J.K. Simmons) went by Slade and was a military tech specialist by trade with his own personal fleet of vehicles and planes as well.

Things did not go well during Dan’s reunion with his father, so he returned home to say goodbye to his wife and 6 year old daughter Muri and report to the training center. They were supposed to be there for a week before the jump, but a significant shift happened in the future and they were jumped in after only 24 hours to help rescue a critical research team. Until arriving, they had no idea how terrifying the alien race was they called Whitespikes that fed on humans and fired bone-like spikes from multiple tentacles.

They landed in future Miami Beach, which was filled with crumbled buildings destroyed by explosions and fires throughout. Due to Dan’s previous military training, he was put in charge of the search and rescue by Romeo Command (Yvonne Strahovski) and directed remotely to avoid the aliens to where the research team was on the 7^th floor of the research building. The research team was dead when they were found, so Dan was instructed to retrieve a specific dozen critical vials and return them to base as the aliens converged on their location.

The area was overrun with aliens, and what was left of Dan’s team narrowly escaped the bombing of the area by planes to aid in their exit. They woke up on an island in the Dominican Republic where Dan met Romeo Command face to face, and upon being referred to as Colonel Forester by another soldier realized it was his own daughter Muri 30 years in the future leading the fight. She had developed a toxin to kill the aliens, but the remote research outpost where the jump link also resided was invaded by thousands of aliens trying to save the female specimen she had captured for testing.

Muri was injured and Dan couldn’t save her because his jump band was counting down to the last seconds of his 7 days of service, so he was jumped back in time, though kept the vial of toxin with him. Believing that the aliens had been here all along and that they emerged after climate change melted the polar cap, Dan gathered a team including his dad and several other soldiers that he jumped with to go find the alien ship and destroy it to stop the war from ever happening.

Though some of the storyline is predictable, this thrilling action-packed movie has incredible visual effects, some interesting twists, and constant comedic one liners from the star-studded cast.

Runtime: 2h 18m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Fatherhood – Netflix Originals

Fatherhood shares the emotional true story of a widowed father faced with raising his newborn daughter on his own after losing his wife in the hospital shortly after giving birth the their first child. Matt (Kevin Hart) certainly didn’t plan on coming home without his wife Liz, leaving him on his own to raise little Maddy (Melody Hurd). Matt felt completely unprepared to raise his daughter on his own, especially while still grieving over the loss of his wife, so his mother and his overbearing mother-in-law Marian (Alfre Woodard) stayed for several weeks to help.

Marian was continually trying to convince Matt to go back to Minnesota to raise Maddy near her and other family, but soon Matt grew irritated with the constant pressure and belittling that Marian kept doing and though she wanted to stay for 6 months sent her home after 5 weeks at the same time as his own mother. Marian was reluctant to go having concerns over Matt’s ability to raise Maddy on his own, but Matt said that he wouldn’t be able to develop the skills to raise her if he wasn’t given the chance.

Matt quickly discovered clever ways to help deal with his challenging situation, like putting a basketball hoop above the diaper bucket. He also joined a parenting group to get help and tips how to raise children, which is where he discovered that Maddy’s constant crying was no fault of his, that is was colic and a normal issue with newborn babies. In order to avoid difficult conversation whenever anybody asked where the mother was, he made up stories like she’s an astronaut or she’s in prison, which made it easier for him to not have to discuss his wife.

Matt’s very supportive boss Paul (Paul Reiser) let him bring Maddy to work, but unfortunately his work started suffering with him falling asleep in meetings and bringing his baby and a vacuum to help stop her crying. Fortunately the clients understood and gave Matt some good baby tips. Matt also had the support of his two best friends Jordan (Lil Rell Howery) and Oscar (Anthony Carrigan) who did things like playing poker for cookies with Maddy and Matt.

Fast forward and Maddy is now in elementary school and Matt’s faced with the challenges of young black women’s hair, fashionable dress and sent Maddy to the school that his wife Liz wanted her to attend. It was a private school run by nuns and though the school has a dress code requiring girls to wear skirts, Maddy decided to wear pants which her father definitely supported.

Matt’s friend Oscar decided to set Matt up with his friend Lizzy at a birthday party in the park, and they definitely seemed to have great chemistry. When Matt was finally ready to have Maddy meet Lizzy, Lizzy told Maddy she can call her Swan, to avoid any issues with her mother’s name, and they too hit it off right from the start. Matt decided to call things off with Swan after feeling guilty that Maddy was injured at school while they were out on a date.

Matt had to take a trip for work, so took Maddy to stay with Marian, but ended up ditching the work trip and got on a plane to Minnesota to bring Maddy back to Boston. Matt took Maddy to see Swan to apologize which made Maddy happy as she really liked Swan. Upon returning for the new school year, Maddy again wore pants and Matt wore a skirt, and the nuns seemed happy to share that due to an incident with Maddy at school they were changing the dress code.

Kevin Hart shows the perfect combination of comedy and compassion in his role in this true story.

Rated: PG-13

by Shirley Lorraine
Theater is Live on Ojai Stage!

The silent stage drought is finally coming to an end. Ojai Art Center Theater opened Friday to an enthusiastic audience with Family Furniture, written by A.R. Gurney. Gurney is perhaps best known for his Pulitzer prize-winning play Love Letters and his hit scipt Sylvia.

Set in the 1950’s, Family Furniture is an exploration into the coping and evolving skills of a family summering on the Canadian shore of Lake Erie as they navigate the slippery path that is maturation, growth and acceptance as a unit. The central theme is value of renewal rather than replacement. The play is performed with no intermission.

The “children”, Nick (Benjamin Wilson) and Peggy (Kisea Katikka) are moving into adulthood with its attendant complications of infatuation, a need for exploration and a desire for autonomy and clarity. At the same time, Mother, Claire (Ashley Osler), is coping with some emotional mid-life challenges of her own. Father, Russell (Buddy Wilds) does his best to keep the family on an even keel throughout, while he goes about his own style of maintaining equilibrium for himself and for his family. Nick’s girlfriend Betsy (Amber Shea Hodge) provides a measure of perspective from another viewpoint.

The play is well crafted. Each character has an opportunity to delve into their needs and depths of emotion. Each grapple with some potentially life-changing issues and as a family they ultimately discover what is truly important and how to best cope until the next thing comes up. Seasoned director Tom Eubanks chose this work well as his final directorial project before he retires out of the area. He will be missed.

All the actors portray their roles with clarity and confidence although at times vocal volumes dropped and were a challenge to hear. Opening night provided numerous opportunities for the actors to learn to take a breath so lines would not be drowned out by audience laughter. There are myriad patches of familiar situational humor that deserve to be heard. This production is not amplified so the actors must remember to project even in more intimate moments.

The setting is minimal, having the actors move the few basic pieces of furniture about to indicate scenery changes. Costuming is simple and effective, giving just enough flavor of the era to augment the story. The many references to happenings of the time transported the audience but the story could easily have been played to any era. The situations are familiar to all age levels.

Clearly, audience members were excited to be attending live theater again and the actors and crew were thrilled to be doing what they do best. Masks are optional. It’s been a long haul.

Summer curtain time is 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. For reservations, call (805) 640-8797 or go to OjaiACT.org to secure your seat. General admission tickets are $20, Art Center members and seniors $18 and just $10 for under 25.

by Shirley Lorraine
Theaters stay busy with summer youth camps

Are your kids prone to dramatic behavior or break out in song? Several theaters are offering summer camps to enhance theater basics. Check them out right away if your kids are interested.

Unity Theatre Collective is offering Musical Theater Camps. Camps are Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon at Barranca Vista Park. The first offering is Annie. Camp runs July 12-16. After that, a camp for Shrek, the Musical, Jr. is from July 26-30. For ages 10-15, a camp for the musical Mama Mia is August 2-6.

Instructors Maddie Boyd and Sarah Covault will teach theater. www.unitytheatrecollective.com has all the details and the links to sign up. Openings are limited.

The Rubicon Theatre has already begun its Dare to Dream summer Shakespeare Camp, working on a production of Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Joseph Fuqua.

Shrek, the Musical, Jr. will be directed and choreographed by George Ratliff and Cheryl Baxter. For ages 8-15, will take place June 21 through July 18.

Finally, for ages 15 and above, a production workshop of Les Misérables on July 19-August 15. Check www.rubicontheatre.org/summer-education-programs for all the particulars. All productions will culminate in a filmed production.